Engine wouldn't start??

Tranona

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Are you sure about that? ISTR Listers have a stop lever on the side of the engine.
Not 100%, just that is the way we were told to stop. Opposite to start which was crank, drop no 1 then No 2. stop 2 first then 1. Followed by blessed silence!
 

PaulRainbow

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the valves are stopped from closing allowing the explosive
While the engine is running under normal conditions, where do the hot exhaust gasses go ?

Do they not go out past the exhaust valve/seat ?

When the decompressor is operated the valve is held open, therefore there is no compression and no combustion, so how does this burn the valves out, when the very hot gasses caused during combustion do not ?

** I'm not saying it's OK to use the decompressor for routine engine stopping, but i don't see how it's going to burn valves or seats out.
 
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penberth3

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Not 100%, just that is the way we were told to stop. Opposite to start which was crank, drop no 1 then No 2. stop 2 first then 1. Followed by blessed silence!

Someone's been telling you stories! It makes no earthly difference which order you operate the decompressors. Multi-cylinder Listers I've used all had the levers linked anyway.

Details of the stop control have come back to me. It's on the side of the engine, the same lever gives you excess fuel/cold start.
 

Tranona

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Someone's been telling you stories! It makes no earthly difference which order you operate the decompressors. Multi-cylinder Listers I've used all had the levers linked anyway.

Details of the stop control have come back to me. It's on the side of the engine, the same lever gives you excess fuel/cold start.
Just thickos using the club's launches and following the instructions on how to make the horrible old dump truck engines work (without breaking your arm). (little bit like scottie believing what he was told as an apprentice) .Definitely not linked decompressors. Hold both up while cranking then drop 1. if it fires. drop 2. Better as a 2 person job, one cranking the other dropping. As it would run forever as long as it had fuel they would often be left running all day at busy times.

Much better now we have Yanmars and Betas except that you no longer have the waft of warm air keeping you warm on a winter Sunday morning doing rescue boat duties - not that I do such things now.
 

penberth3

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Just thickos using the club's launches and following the instructions on how to make the horrible old dump truck engines work (without breaking your arm). (little bit like scottie believing what he was told as an apprentice) .Definitely not linked decompressors. Hold both up while cranking then drop 1. if it fires. drop 2. Better as a 2 person job, one cranking the other dropping. As it would run forever as long as it had fuel they would often be left running all day at busy times.

Much better now we have Yanmars and Betas except that you no longer have the waft of warm air keeping you warm on a winter Sunday morning doing rescue boat duties - not that I do such things now.

Agreed. More than one cylinder and it's really a two-man job. It's hard not to slow down the cranking when you operate the decompressor, just when you need maximum effort. Starting handles scare me now!
 

Refueler

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Spent many an hour as 3rd Mate with Junior Eng'r running up Lifeboat Listers ...... as many said on board - Listers designed to keep engineers guessing and bruised thumbs .....

Yes I know - thumb should be round with fingers - not opposite - to avoid breaking it on kick-back.
 

Bilgediver

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The two cylinder air cooled Listers in our old club launches (going back 30 years) could only be stopped with the decompressors. Fail to see how it can cause valve damage.
Not unusual for self taught instructors to give wrong instructions. I think you will find there was a way of shutting the fuel off but it was less accessible. ;)
 

Tranona

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Not unusual for self taught instructors to give wrong instructions. I think you will find there was a way of shutting the fuel off but it was less accessible. ;)
The instructor was the time served club bosun whose job it was to keep all the club's then ancient equipment working. Expect the shut off lever was low down on the crankcase whereas the decompressors were accessed through a lift up lid on the top. Line of least resistance I suppose. Anyway don't recall them suffering from burnt out valves and they were still running when they were sold 20 odd years ago and replaced with Plymouth Pilots with Yanmars.
 
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